8/29/7 This is the way
it's supposed to work.
All of you who called and e-mailed the County Commissioners demanding reinstatement of
the $69K exemption for 65+ seniors are to be congratulated. You helped the
Commissioners undo a mistake. The Commissioners are to be congratulated
for admitting they had made an error and fixing it.

Dallas County Commissioners unanimously reinstated an exemption for seniors 65 years and older on Tuesday. The vote came two weeks after commissioners eliminated the exemption as part of a compromise that was hatched when passing a tax freeze for seniors. The exemption knocks $69,000 off the taxable value of a home before the tax rate is applied. It is one of the highest senior exemptions in the state. Now, homeowners who turn 65 next year will qualify for the senior exemption and the tax freeze. That means the county taxes they pay next year will be frozen at that amount for as long as they own the house. ... After the Aug. 14 vote killing the over-65 exemption, commissioners were inundated with e-mails and phone calls from angry seniors. ...

Commissioner Maurine Dickey has
really caught the brunt of criticism
about this fiasco, from
DallasArena.com and others.
There's no doubt she was shocked at
the enormity of the response to what
the Commissioners did two weeks ago.
Commissioner Dickey could have dug in her heels like
some politicians and continued down
a wrong road, but she listened to
her constituents. That's a
good thing.

All five of the Commissioners voted
to reinstate the $69K exemption.
That means the four commissioners
who voted to do away with the
exemption publicly changed their
minds. Don't know about you,
but I'm impressed.

When was the last time you
complained to a politician and got
the positive response we have
received from the Commissioners
Court?

Let's all pat ourselves on the back.
Now, let's all thank the
County Commissioners for having the
integrity and courage to admit a
mistake and fix it. You can't
really ask for more from any
politician.

sb

Ward politics is the
Devil's key to the soul of the city council. It is how some
council members got themselves in trouble in the past. It is
the bait that will get others in trouble in the future. 4/6/8